Wire-fastener.



No. 884,189. PATENTED APR. '7, 1908 MULLIN & W. B. WILLIAMS.

WIRE PASTENER.

APPLICATION rum) SEPT. a. 1907.

[Ng/E/VTORS J: 7?. MC///ll7 UNITED STATES PATNT JOHN R. MULLIN AND WILLIAM B. WILLIAMS, OF ROME, NEW YORK.

WIRE-FASTE NEE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 7, 1908.

Application filed September 6, 1907, Serial No. 891,670.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN R. MULLIN and WILLIAM B. WILLIAMS, citizens of the United States, residing at Rome, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Fasteners; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to new" and useful improvements in wire fasteners and more particularly to that class adapted to be used for securing fence wire, or the like, to posts, and our object is to provide means for securely holding the fastener to the post.

A further object is to provide means for attaching the wire to the fastener, after the fastener is placed in position on the post and a still further object is to provide means for preventing the wire from becoming casually disengaged from the fastener.

Other objects and advantageswill be hereinafter referred to and .more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application, Figure'l is a side elevation of the upper end of a post, showing one of our improved fasteners secured thereto, portions of the post being shown in section, and, Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a post and fastener, portions of the post being in section.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates a post, such as is commonly employed in building fence, or the like, and is preferably constructed of wood, and 2 indicates our improved fastener or staple, one end of which is provided with a shank 3.

The free end of the shank 3 is pointed, so that the same may be readily entered into the post, While the edges of the shank are provided with a plurality of barbs t, which serve to prevent the shank from leaving the post, after the shank has been once driven therein.

The body of the fastener is substantially flat and the vertically extending end portion 5 is slightly curved, so that blows may be delivered thereon, to drive the shank into the post, and in order to reinforce the shank and prevent the fastener from tu'i. ing, or otherthe body portion and at an angle from tl elongitudinal plane of the shank 3, so that when the spur driven into the post, a firm anchorage is formed for the fastener. Extending into the body of the fastener from the upper edge thereof, is an opening 7, which is adapted to receive the wires 8, employed for forming the fence and in order to retain the wire in the opening and prevent the same from casually leaving said opening,

a curved finger 9 is extended into the opena ing from one edge thereof, said linger being so arranged that a circuitous path 10 is formed between the finger and one wall of the opening 7, the width of the path being sufficient to receive the Wire 8 and by which means the wire is introduced into the opening.

fin auxiliary finger 11 is introduced over the curved linger 9, from the opposite edge of the opening 7, said auxiliary finger being likewise spaced :1 distance from the curved finger to form a continuation of the path. and to guard against the casual removal of the wire 8 through the path it), the upper edge of the curved finger 9 and the free end of the auxiliary finger ll are each provided with a shoulder 12 and 13, respectively, which serve to form an off-set in the path 10, into which the wire passes on its path to or from the opening 7.

The spur 1i and shank 3, being extended from the same edge of the body of the fes toner 2 and spaced apart, may be employed for securing the wire to the post, in which instance, the shank is pa 'tially driven into the post, when the wire placed in position between the shank and spur and the sl then driven home, hich will anchor wire between the shank and spur and the edge of the post, shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2.

In securing the wire 8 to the fastener, the wire is first introduced below the free end the auxiliary finger 11 and entered into can. enter the path '10 and be removed from wise becoming loosened, a spur 6 is secured to l the fastener,

The Wire 8 is caused to normally rest in the 11 per portion of the opening 7 and against tli e finger 9, by placing the ends of the Wire in a plane above the path of said openings, so that when the wires are drawn taut, they Will be held in engagement with the finger 9 and at the upper portion of the opening 7.

It will thus beseen that we have provided I a very cheap and eflicient form of fastener said fastener having inwardly from the for securing line wires to the fence post and one wherein the Wire may be'readi'ly attached or detached from the fastener, after the same has been secured to the post and it will further be seen that we have provided means for preventing casual removal of the wire fromengagement with the fastener.

. What we claim is:

1. An article of manufacture, comprising a fastener, having a prong extending from one end thereof, barbs on said prong, a spur above said prong, and at an angle thereto, an opening extending upper edge thereof, a curved finger extending into said opening from one edge thereof, an auxiliary finger extending over the curved finger from the opposite side of the opening and at a distance from the curved finger to form a path, and shoulders on said curved and auxiliary fingers to form an offset in the path.

2. The combination with a post, of a fastenet having an openin' extended inwardly from the upper edge t erect; a shank extending from one end of said fastener, barbs on said shank, a spur extending from the same end of said fastener and above said shank, a curved finger extending into said opening, from one edge of the opening, an auxiliary fin er extending over said curved finger from the op osite edge of the opening, cooperatin shou ders on said curved and auxiliary gers, said fingers being spaced apart to form a path.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN R. MULLIN. WILLIAM B. WILLIAMS Witnesses:

SCHUYLER H. SNEETING, W. E. SGRIPTUBE, Jr. 

